There was so much I didn’t know about hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc (or TMB). I an handful of worries about planning a hike across three different countries. I’m a solo hiker. This hike was on a different continent from where I live. And I don’t speak more than a few phrases in French or Italian.
But if I could overcome all these worries, then so can you! And to help you boost your confidence and prepare for a great adventure in the Alps, I’m sharing 13 lessons I learned while hiking the TMB in 2025.
#1 – Booking your own reservations isn’t hard
The idea of booking all my reservations for this trek seemed completely overwhelming. Where should I start my hike? Which direction should I go? How many miles a day is feasible on this route? How do I even make reservations at each hut, auberge, or refugio? Sure, you can let a tour operator handle all my logistics. But you’ll pay 2-3 times more to have them plan your trip. If you want to save that money, my advice is to DIY an itinerary. Spend some time looking at itineraries that various tour operators use to get an idea of a reasonable pace, and take note of which villages or mountain huts those itineraries use (trust me, there aren’t that many variations). Once you have that information, log on to Mon Tour du Mont Blanc. This website shows you which lodging is available, the distance to the nearest huts (as alternate or subsequent stops), and you can build an entire itinerary and book everything at the same time! And remember, just because one of the huts is full, doesn’t mean you are out of luck. You may be able to find local inns, B&Bs, gîtes, and hotels on Booking.com to help supplement your itinerary or give you a night away from communal bunk rooms.
#2 – reserve your travel to CHamonix in advance
The closest major international airport to the TMB is the Geneva Airport (GVA). And getting from the airport to the TMB isn’t a difficult task. Charter buses run from Geneva Airport to Chamonix-Mont Blanc several times a day and cost only €12-21. The travel time to Chamonix is about an hour, and they take you to the Chamonix-Sud bus depot. However, these travel arrangements cannot be made from the vendor’s desk at the airport. You must book your ticket in advance. The top bus operators for this route are AlpyBus, FlixBus, and Swiss Tours. When researching tickets, I used the Omio app, which displays departure times from all three bus lines in one place, and then I picked the one that best suited my travel needs. You can also book your bus tickets on the Omio app.
#3 – the airport Wifi requires a bit of effort
My experience with airport Wi-Fi is that it might be slow, but it’s almost always easy to log onto. You just find the correct network on your phone, and go through a series of prompts (sometimes with a survey or email address requirement), and voila! It works. Unfortunatly, accessing the Geneva airport Wi-FI isn’t that simple. Here’s a complete overview of the three ways to access the airport’s Wi-Fi, but the easiest method if you have an North American SIM card is to find one of the self-service machines. When you scan your boarding pass, the machine will then print a unique password that lets you log in to the Wi-Fi. Once you’re on the network, you can activate your local eSIM, book a bus ticket to Chamonix, or perform any other basic task.
#4 – Get Euros and Swiss Francs at the Airport
Hikers planning to do the entire TMB circuit will need to withdraw Euros and Swiss Francs for their trek. France and Italy are both in the EU and use the Euro (€) as their currency. However, Switzerland never joined the EU and retains its own currency, the Swiss Franc (or CHF). My experience on the TMB is that 85% of the places you’ll visit accept credit or debit cards, but there’s still a healthy number that either don’t accept cards or charge a minimum for card use. If you are traveling through the Geneva Airport on your way to the TMB, it’s the ideal place to withdraw both currencies. There are separate ATMs for each currency at the airport.
#5 – Don’t trust the weather forecast
There’s a saying in the mountaineering community: mountains make their own weather. Mont Blanc is no different. This 15,766-foot (4,808-meter) peak is part of the Mont Blanc massif, a 20+ mile-long mountain range in the Alps that contains 11 different independent summits. This range separates two separate climate regions: the northern/western Alps and the southern Alps. This means that no weather forecast for your TMB hike will be entirely accurate. When moist air reaches these mountains, it is forced upward. As this air rises, it cools and can no longer hold moisture, which causes rain or snow to fall. So, in effect, the mountain shapes and changes the weather from its surrounding environment. Dry conditions in a nearby town or village may differ from those on the trail. So make sure you always pack rain gear, warm layers, and sunscreen so you are prepared for anything Mont Blanc throws your way.
#6 – the TMB will be busy, no matter when you go
More than 20,000 people hike the entire 105-mile Tour du Mont Blanc each year, and even more visitors attempt shorter, partial hikes on the TMB. Given the relatively short hiking season (late-June to mid-September), the trail sees a ton of visitors every day. There’s no way to get around it. The peak months are July and August, so if you want a more tranquil hike, you can trade off the best weather for fewer hikers. I hiked the TMB in early September and found that the trail was still quite busy, but not always a conga line. You can also choose to hike the trail clockwise, which is the opposite direction that most hiker approach the circuit. You’ll still cross paths with the hikers headed in the traditional direction, but you’ll reach spots of the trail or the huts at different times in your day.
#7 – Half-board is a great perk
Before hiking the TMB, I was totally unfamiliar with the concept of “half-board” at the mountain huts. Half-board provides you with a bed for the night and two meals (usually dinner and breakfast). Breakfast is often a buffet of bread, cheese, yogurt, fruit, coffee, and similar fare, and it’s available for 1-2 hours in the morning before you depart. Meanwhile, dinner is at a set time, usually around 18:30. All the hikers dine communally at shared tables from a fixed menu, so it’s a great way to meet new people. Dessert is included in the meal, but wine typically costs extra. If you are a vegetarian or have special dietary needs, make sure to let your host know at check-in, as an alternate half-board meal is almost always available.
#8 – Take advantage of unique meals
Hiking through the Alps comes with its own exceptional regional cuisine. Two of the more popular meals you’ll come across are fondue and raclette. Fondue is a communal pot of melted cheese, and you use long forks to dip bread, fruit, or meat into the pot. Raclette is a communal grill where you heat a slice of cheese on a special spatula, and then scrape it over bread, potatoes, or meat. I strongly recommend trying both meals if you get a chance. They are a good way to meet fellow hikers and offer a unique, fun experience in the Alps. Other regional foods you’ll likely encounter on the TMB are cheeses (so many cheeses), cured meats, fine chocolates and pastries, tarte aux myrtilles (a wild blueberry tart), and meüsli.
#9 – Don’t try to kill yourself with big miles
The TMB is a challenging hike. You’ll experience 79,000 vertical feet of elevation gain/loss along the route. Hiking the miles up to the next pass won’t be quick or easy. You probably find that your hiking pace is much slower than normal due to this roller coaster of climbs and descents. So, unless you’re on a super tight schedule, you should plan to hike shorter mileage days and stretch this adventure out. Build in time to stop at a hut and have a coffee. Give yourself time to explore one of the villages and enjoy a beer. The goal (at least for most of us) isn’t to finish the trail in record time. It’s about enjoying the hike, taking in the views, and experiencing this majestic trek. I average 18-22 miles per day on most wilderness hikes, but slowing my pace to 12-15 on this route made it a much more enjoyable experience.
#10 – THe Free bus in Courmayeur is great
When I was trying to book a last-minute TMB trip, I came across a few sections of trail where I couldn’t find lodging. The 35-kilometer section of trail between Courmayeur, Italy, and La Fouly, Switzerland, had no huts or village inns available. This is where the TMB’s route ascends to the Col Grand Ferret (the TMB’s highest point) and crosses the border between Italy and Switzerland. As I tried to figure out a way to avoid a 35-kilometer (22-mile) day of hiking, I discovered Courmayeur’s free bus system. These buses run through the Aosta Valley between Courmayeur to Val Ferret – the last trailhead before Refugio Elena and the climb to the Col Grand Ferret. I booked two consecutive nights at an inn in Courmayeur and successfully used the bus to shuttle me between the trailheads. I left Courmayeur on foot in the morning and hiked the 12 miles to Val Ferret before riding the bus back to my lodging in Courmayeur. The following day, I rode the bus back out to Val Ferret, picked up the TMB right where I left off, and hiked into Switzerland. As an added bonus, I was able to “slackpack” between Courmayeur and Val Ferret, leaving most of my gear at my hotel in town instead of carrying it.
#11 – You can do laundry, but it won’t be cheap
I’ll be honest. I struggled with how much to pack on this trek. It’s not like the Appalachian Trail, where you can hike in the same clothes for a week and nobody bats an eye at how dirty you are (or how bad you smell). Hut-to-hut hikes like the TMB offer you the chance to shower daily and stay indoors. So the question becomes, how much should I pack for my time in town? Can I wear the same pair of pants for 7 or 10 days? How many pairs of underwear should I pack?
I tend to avoid overpacking by telling myself I can always do laundry while abroad. I can wash some underwear or socks in a sink. Or I can find a laundromat in town and throw everything I have into a washing machine. I’ve used this method on my other European treks, so I was blown away by the price at the laundromat in Courmayeur’s city center. There were only two washing machines, and the cost was €12 (or $13.81 USD). Yes, you read that correctly. Twelve Euros!! To wash a partial load of laundry. And the dryer would cost €7 more. After waiting in line for an hour for a machine, I scored a minor victory. I offered to share my washer with the two German hikers right behind me in line. Thus, my laundry cost dropped to €4, because I also hung my clothes to dry rather than pay for a dryer. The takeaway of this story is that laundry machines are available, but they aren’t as cheap as what you’ll find on the Camino de Santiago or West Highland Way.
#12 – Switzerland is ridiculously expensive
While the price of doing laundry at the TMB might surprise you, the real shocker is the cost of EVERYTHING in Switzerland. Compared to the rest of Europe, the prices in Switzerland feel absurd. The Swiss have the highest cost of living on the continent; it’s even higher than in Iceland and Norway. To prove my point, I walked into a Five Guys in Geneva out of curiosity. The cost of a little cheeseburger, a little fry, and a small soft drink was $35.80 USD (or 29 CHF). If you gasped at the number the way I did, well, prepare to be blown away by the other prices, too. I decided to hike through Switzerland with a “Monopoly money” approach of denialism. I just pretended my Swiss Francs were Monopoly money and had no value. Then I bought what made me happy, and pretended to be blissfully ignorant of the currency conversion rate.
#13 – Try a gondola
I’m not a big fan of aerial transport. Each time I ride a ski lift or gondola, and I feel that little swing as it passes over one of the support towers, my stomach jumps into my throat with a surge of fear. But I pushed past my jitters and took a ride on the Flégére-Les Praz gondola at the end of day 8. In a matter of minutes, I dropped more than 2,700 feet in elevation and could enjoy all the amenities in the mountain villages just below the TMB. Taking a gondola gives you a birds-eye view of the mountains, and it’s one of those quintessential Alpine experiences that you won’t get on other trails. So, hop on board and take a gondola ride.
Final Thoughts
My recent TMB thru-hike was very different from my other European hiking adventures. Hiking the circumference of the Mont Blanc Massif offers a breathtaking scenic experience while traversing three countries: France, Italy, and Switzerland. But there are some challenges, too.
I’ve hiked five of the Camino de Santiago Routes (Frances, Norte, Portuguese, Primitivo, Finisterre), the southern third of the Via Francigena, and the West Highland Way. But those European routes didn’t fully prepare me for some of the TMB’s unique quirks.
Hopefully, my advice on these 13 topics will enhance your TMB experience, or at the very least, manage your expectations. The Tour du Mont Blanc is a wonderful adventure, and one I’d encourage everyone to try if they’re curious about hiking in the Alps. I waited far too long to check this trek off my own bucket list.
If you’re curious about learning more about the TMB, check out:
- My Tour du Mont Blanc Packing List
- How I Planned My TMB Hike Without a Tour Company
- My Day-by-Day Travel Journal
- Some Interesting Metrics About my TMB Hike